Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

This tip takes some nerve, but it just might do the trick. Let me know if you try this and it works for you.

If you're flying to your vacation spot, you know security is going to inspect your suitcase--possibly lots of times. Help prevent items from disappearing: after packing, lay your suitcase open and take a photo, especially showing any expensive stuff. (Supplemental tip: don't take expensive stuff on vacation. But I digress.) Make a large printout of the photo and lay it across the packed items with a note stating, "Suitcase and contents inventoried before departure."

Crazy Craving/Frugal Flop: Homemade Frappucino

Documenting the crazy cravings of BrownThumbMama while she waits for Baby Thumbelina...

This sounded like a great idea. Anything you can make at home should be better than what you can buy, right? Unfortunately, not this time. I just can't seem to get the chocolate/coffee balance right.

If you're up for it, give it a try...your mileage may vary.

Ingredients:
1 cup crushed ice
2 tablespoons instant pudding (I chose Chocolate Fudge, of course)
1 packet Via instant coffee (early experiments taught me not to use the generic instant--bleah!)
1 cup milk
1 good healthy squirt of chocolate syrup

Blend everything together, adding more milk if needed. Makes one serving, or two if you're not too crazy about it and want to share.

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

Charities, food banks, and the like get most of their donations during the holidays, and this means they're really stretching to serve their clients by late summer. Consider making part of your holiday donation now, or organize a summer donation drive at your work/school/church. And if you're out in the garden, don't forget to Plant a Row for the Hungry!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

The other day, we went out to dinner and the restaurant had a bunch of flavored lemonades on their menu. I tried watermelon lemonade and it was so sweet it made my hair hurt!

In light of my recent slushie cravings, I discovered the secret to making delicious flavored lemonades (you could do this for margaritas too).

Cut up small chunks of fruit, remove the seeds, and freeze in a single layer in a pan or cookie sheet. When making your beverage of choice, use the fruit instead of ice cubes. Blend the fruit with the liquid for a slushie or muddle the fruit a bit for a hint of flavor. I blended 2 cups of frozen watermelon with 2 cups of lemonade and ended up with a delicious, not-too-sweet slushie.

Maybe I'll freeze some of Jackjack's strawberries and try a strawberry lemonade slushie next. What combinations sound good to you? Tell us in the comments!

Homemade Bug Spray

Being so sweet [cough cough] has its disadvantages. Whenever there's a mosquito within a million yards of me, I get eaten alive. 4th of July was going to be torture unless I could come up with something to keep the skeeters away!

A little bit of research helped me piece together the ingredients to make my own bug spray. It kept the critters away, doesn't have any weird chemicals, and was approved by the boys as "sufficiently manly-smelling" (i.e., it doesn't smell like Skin-so-Soft).

Extra bonus: the essential oils are not expensive and can be used around the house in many ways. So it's cheaper than store-bought bug spray too!

Ingredients:
Empty spray bottle (Figure out the volume before mixing so you don't end up with more spray than will fit.)
1/2 c (4 oz) witch hazel
8 drops citronella essential oil
8 drops lemongrass essential oil
6 drops lavender essential oil

Put all ingredients in your spray bottle and shake to combine. I gave it a good shake before each application, although I'm not sure it was absolutely necessary.

You could also add tea tree essential oil, but I think it smells too much like Pine-Sol to spray on my body. Or does the Pine-Sol smell like tea tree...?!? That's a debate for another day.

How do you keep the bugs away? Any other oils/mixtures you recommend?

Front Yard Garden Recap: June

They made a liar out of me! (And I couldn't be happier.)

 I didn't expect to harvest any artichokes this year--but they are doing great and are nearly ready to eat!

There are nasturtiums across the front near the sidewalk, and Purple Ruffles basil hiding under the 'chokes. Two types of lavender are on the far right near the lawn, and snow peas are attempting to make their way up the trellis in the background.

I'm still deciding what to put in that huge blank spot--something needs to go in quickly before the weeds take over again! Any suggestions?

Jackjack's strawberries continue to do well. We're going to add some color here--he wants red, white, and blue flowers for Captain America. (Daddy was so proud.)

How does your garden grow? Any edibles in your front yard, or surprises like the artichokes? Share with us in the comments!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

Raise your hand if you got sunburned over the 4th of July weekend. Uh-huh, I figured most of the Sacramento valley would raise their hands.

It may be too late for this burn, but you can be prepared for the next one. Freeze aloe vera gel in an ice cube tray. Soothe the burn by rubbing the frozen aloe on it for double cooling!

Crazy Craving: Homemade Lime Slushie

Documenting the crazy cravings of BrownThumbMama while she waits for Baby Thumbelina...

Yes, all pregnant women get cravings. Jackjack was built on mandarin oranges and green beans (not at the same time). Thumbelina has a decided bent for junk food, to my embarrassment.

Last week, I seriously needed a lime slushie. It was a National Emergency, Terror Alert Red. Do ya think I could find a slushie in this town? No way, nowhere, nohow.

What's a mama to do? Make her own, that's what. It was super-easy and I didn't have to worry about the mystery dyes and preservatives in the bottled lime-flavored syrup.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups crushed ice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup lime juice

Mix the sugar and water and heat gently until the sugar melts.

Presto! You've created simple syrup. If you know you'll need more in the near future later this afternoon, make a double-batch and store it in the fridge.

Squeeze those limes until you have 1/3 cup of juice. This time, I only needed 2 1/2 limes--sometimes you'll need 2 and sometimes 3. Put your ice and lime juice in the blender.

Add 1/4 cup of simple syrup and blend. Add more simple syrup to sweeten or to make it slushy-er. You can add green food coloring if you want here.

You're done! Horrify the neighbors and drink it from a lowball glass.

There's tons of delicious potential here...oranges, lemons, berries, mmmm.
What's your slushie of choice? Tell us in the comments!